Next Time Take the Stairs
by Alicia Blade
Summary: Darien's apartment seemed like a good sanctuary, until the elevator broke, with the two enemies stuck inside! Enter six friends and two incompetent maintenance workers, and laughter and mayhem are sure to follow. 3 parts.
1. The Storm

Title: Next Time Take the Stairs

Author: Alicia Blade

**January 2005 ANs:**

One of the few fics I can really consider almost pure comedy. This was so much fun to write! I hope it'll make you laugh and smile and swoon all at the same time! 

Per request, A Million Kisses will be following this one. Sorry, but I needed something shorter this time around. 

There will be three chapters. ) Enjoy! 

**Original (abridged) ANs:**

This is ANOTHER first season romance... as well as my first sorry attempt at a 75 comedy, which I admit, probably isn't as funny as I would have liked it to be, but I'm sure you'll be satisfied anyway.

Thanx a million times over to Lady Starra, Edeet, Athena, Jessica, Patricia, and R-chan for the ideas you've all given me. Most creative people!!! And I love every one of them VERY much and hope the Lord will always bless them!!

God bless everyone!!

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life."   
John 3:16 

Next Time Take the Stairs: Chapter One  
The Storm

She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, staggering through the cold wind. Her blonde hair whipped around her body and her bangs clinged to her forehead, matted down by the pouring rain. She closed her eyes, but quickly opened them again for fear of colliding with something in the dark. The black clouds above offered no mercy as heavy drops fell unceasingly from the sky. She lashed at a few drops on her forehead with her sleeve. With a terrified sob, she urged her legs to run faster. She squealed as her foot splashed into a black, invisible puddle, sending mud and icy cold water over her already soaked legs and pleated skirt.

She let her other foot land, too late, in the ankle deep water, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. With a loud sob, she clutched at her shirt, imagining she had a warm coat to wrap around her shoulders. Taking a breath, she ordered herself to be brave. Gathering any willpower, she trudged out of the small ditch, running across a black street. Muddy water splashed onto her legs as she ran, though her bare calves had become numb a long time ago. Shuddering beneath a tree that offered little protection, she paused to catch her breath. More tears fled her eyes and this time she made no attempt to rid herself of them. Gasping for breath, she forced herself to continue on. Closing her eyes for a moment to gather anything left of her senses, she pushed herself forward.

Staggering down an empty sidewalk, she kept her head down, trying to ignore the biting cold or painful raindrops falling onto her. The only welcome thought to her... 'Home'.

She shuddered as a strong wind blasted at her, sending stinging, icy drops onto her skin. Her fists clenched until her knuckles were white. Her two locks of hair clang to her neck and arms, circling messily around her waist.

She bit her lip roughly, slamming her eyes shut. Opening them again, she could feel strength draining out of her. Fear gripped around her heart as she gulped and gritted her teeth together. She gasped for air, struggling to stay brave, to stay aware, to keep going. With shaky steps, she staggered ahead. Her eyes throbbed with tears and rain. Her cheeks burned and stung. Goose bumps covered her nearly frozen arms and legs. With her chest heaving in struggling breaths, she pushed herself one more step.

A flash of bright light above shook her to the core. The lightning was almost immediately followed by roaring thunder. She screamed and collapsed to the ground, all energy disintegrating into the surrounding storm.

She wrapped her arms around her as tight as possible, gathering fists full of cloth. Burying her face in her knees, she rocked back and forth on the cold pavement. "I hate storms. I hate storms," she chanted over and over as tears fell unchecked down her cheeks. Her frail body wracked with sobs and cries as she sat alone on the deserted sidewalk. 

............

Darien gave up trying to keep the umbrella right side out and quickly folded it up.

'Whoever created these things could have at least TRIED to make them useful in windy weather!'

He stopped in his tracks as he noticed a small form huddled just to the side of the otherwise empty sidewalk. The petite body was shaking and over the roar of the storm he could hear loud whimpering. However, what caught his eye the most was a most peculiar hairstyle.

"Meatball Head?" he called over the blasting storm.

Darien gasped and staggered back at the sight that greeted him. Her usually bright, cheerful eyes were dull and lifeless, dripping with tears. The area around them was red and puffy from crying. Her lips quivered and her small shoulders shook with every gasp for breath.

For the first time in her life, Serena was happy to see Darien Chiba. She stared up at him for a moment, hope seeping into her mind. With her remaining strength, she launched herself toward him, tying her arms around his waist. Burying her face in his black shirt, she allowed her sobs to rack her body. Slowly, Darien found himself dropping the momentarily forgotten umbrella to the ground and wrapping his arms around the shaking girl. He held her close to him, his thoughts losing any rationality.

Finally, Serena clutched to the front of his green jacket. She looked up into his confused blue eyes with pleading in her own.

"Please... Darien... get me out of here. Please get me out of here... I can't... Darien..." she sobbed loudly, before her knees gave way and she slid down his body. Darien quickly wrapped his arms tighter around her, keeping her from falling to the pavement. It took him awhile to understand what she had said.

"Get you out of here? The storm?" With one arm still supporting her around the waist, he took off his jacket and slid it over her shoulders. She made no objection, but continued to cry into his shirt. Her legs no longer kept her standing.

Stooping down, Darien scooped her into his arms. Her head fell against his chest, tears soaking into his shirt, mixing with the salty rainwater. He held her carefully, as you would a china doll, and began making his way to his apartment building. 

............

There wasn't any more rain pounding on her face. The brutal wind had gone. The sense of unknown danger disintegrated. But, strangest of all, Serena felt an incredible warmth and protection encompassing her. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up to see Darien looking down on her worriedly. She was still held in his arms, his jacket, though wet, was still keeping her warm. 

"Where are we?" she whispered. Darien smiled slightly.

"The lobby of my apartment," he said simply.

"Oh..." Slowly, Darien sat her back down on her feet, though his body screamed at him not to. Honestly, he was rather enjoying her needing him... her wanting his protection.

She stood shakily on the dark blue oriental carpet, her hands still tied around his neck. She dreaded releasing them. Looking down to the floor, she nervously released her arms from around his shoulders, sliding her hands down to lightly rest on his chest, though her fingers barely touched the wet black material.

"I... um... th...thank you..." she whispered finally. Darien smiled a little. 'Never thought I'd hear her say that,' he mused silently.

"No problem Meatball Head," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. She lifted her eyelids, glaring at him subtly, though with a strange good natured-ness.

"Because you're being so nice... I'm gonna let that one slide."

He smiled crookedly. "Come on, let's get you upstairs for some hot chocolate."

Her face lightened instantly. "YUM!" she squealed, provoking a soft chuckle from Darien. He turned her around, hitting the up button next to the elevator doors. The two metal doors opened instantly and they walked into the empty elevator.

Serena watched a tad uncomfortably as the doors closed behind them. Darien hit the small button labeled '12' and she could feel the elevator begin to rise beneath them. Her eyes casually moved over to Darien. He was soaked, and the lack of his jacket didn't help. She smiled slightly, pulling the green coat tighter around her.

'It smells like him,' she thought dazedly. 'Wait... since when do I know what he smells like?' She shook her head and looked away.

"D...Darien?" she whispered quietly, nervously. He looked over at her, standing about four feet away from him, almost as if she was afraid to come closer.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you being so nice to me, anyway?"

He glanced at her a bit stunned before turning away. His mind searched for a logical explanation... but he came to the conclusion he wasn't even sure why he was being so... gentlemanly.

He laughed a little, turning back to her. She was staring at him confused and maybe even a little hopeful. He smiled down at her. "Let's just say I have a thing for damsels in distress."

She cracked a smile, almost unwillingly. "Well, you make a great knight in shining armor!" They both laughed, feeling the relief that this wasn't THAT awkward. After the small chuckling and giggling had died down, Serena wrung her wrists nervously. Taking a few steps toward him, she looked up at him, honesty thriving in her blue eyes, just now regaining some life to them. "But...Darien...I really do appreciate this... I mean... I... I was so scared and... and..."

He was just about to wrap an arm around her to keep away the tears from falling when everything stopped. Just... stopped. The small elevator went completely black and Darien felt the engine come to a roaring halt. Serena screamed loudly and launched herself into his arms, screaming and squealing.

"DARIEN!! WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

He clamped a hand over her mouth, preferring to keep his hearing for a little longer. With his other arm, he pulled her as close to him as possible, molding their bodies together.

"It's alright Serena. Just calm down... Everything will be fine..." he whispered comfortingly. He removed his hand from her mouth to wrap it around her shaking body. Her arms clutched around his broad shoulders, as if she were literally terrified to let go of him. Darien looked around, trying to see any sign of light or movement. He found nothing. Serena was crying into his shirt and he could hear her sobs echoing in the now silent elevator.

Darien stroked a hand through her hair before holding her head in place on his chest, with an incredible gentleness. He knew he must stay assured... for Serena.

Slowly, her cries and whimpers subsided. Their eyes could find no light or movement. Serena slammed her eyes shut and buried her head in the material of Darien's shirt. 'No more darkness... No more darkness...'

Darien continued to whisper into her ear softly, bringing the fear down a little. Finally, he pulled away from her just enough to reach into his pocket. He immediately found his keys.

"Darien?" Serena asked in a tiny, frail voice.

"Don't worry Serena, I'm going to get us some light, okay?" With a click, a small beam of light entered the black elevator from his mini flashlight key chain.

Serena squealed with delight. Reaching out a hand, she instantly plucked it from Darien's fingers... and dropped it quickly to the floor. The small beam disappeared with a clatter and Serena screamed yet again. Darien rolled his eyes, but quickly pulled Serena back to his arms to comfort the scared girl. 'There goes that idea.'

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Darien! I just got so excited and I... and now we have no light in here and..."

"It's okay Meatball Head, don't worry about it. Here... I'll just... look around for it a little and..."

"Good idea!" Darien felt her slip from his grip as she dropped to her knees in search for the missing flashlight. He chuckled quietly and followed her example, exploring the carpeted floor. There was a still silence for a few minutes as they shuffled around in attempt to find the elusive flashlight.

"OW!" they echoed. Darien and Serena jumped back, rubbing their foreheads where they had clashed with each other.

"Oops..." said Serena.

"Ditto."

Darien began chuckling lightly. Serena smiled, though the complete blackness still shook her to the bones. Steadily, Darien reached out a hand and easily found her small form in front of him. He cupped her chin and leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently. Serena gasped and trembled a little at the intimate touch. But then it was gone.

Darien could feel a blush creep into his cheeks. 'What did you do that for?!' he scolded himself.

He didn't know why, or even how, he'd kissed her small wound like that. It just... happened... like he was drawn to do it... and had no choice...

He cleared his throat nervously and stood up, scurrying away to put a few more feet between them, for fear of repeat performance.

Serena felt a lack as he moved away from her, though she couldn't understand why. But what appeared even more odd was that the small hurt on her forehead had disappeared the second his lips had brushed her skin. She closed her eyes, trying to force these thoughts out of her head.

Their contemplation was cut short by THE most annoying music they had ever heard filling the small, dark elevator. Yes, the emergency elevator music system had commenced. Serena shrieked loudly. "NO!! Not this!! Anything but elevator music!!! This can't be happening to me!!!"

Darien covered his ears. Between Serena's wailing and the awful, supposedly upbeat music, he wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be deaf by the time he got out of this place.

Soon, bright florescent lights flooded the elevator as well and they both turned their eyes away to avoid the blinding light.

After they had adjusted, Serena looked up at Darien, and then, without warning, jumped full speed into his arms. He froze, stunned at first, but slowly tied his arms around her.

"Light! No more darkness! I hate the dark! And I can see again! I'd rather be deaf than hear anymore of that music, but at least I CAN see! And now we can go have that hot chocolate and..."

Darien scrunched his brow, no longer paying attention to her mindless chatter. No, he had more important things to think about. Like... why wasn't the elevator moving yet?

"Darien? Darien, what is it?"

He looked down at her joyous face and felt a pang of guilt in his heart. "Serena... it's great that we can see again but... we're still not moving," he stated slowly.

Realization dawned on her face and she cautiously backed out of his arms, much to his dismay. She looked around, as if to check for herself, and her face and heart dropped. "Oh no..." she whispered. She wrapped her arms around her waist, teetering from foot to foot. "Darien... why...?"

He shook his head. "I don't know Serena. They're probably just having technical problems because of the storm, that's all. I'm sure they'll have everything up and running any minute now."

He reached out for her, but she jumped away, surprising him. "Serena, everything will be fine." He took a step toward her, but again she stepped back. "Serena, what? What did I do?!" he asked, agitation now becoming clear in mind and voice. He didn't understand why, but all he seemed to be able to think about was holding her near him again. And this cat and mouse game was already getting old.

"Stay away from me," she said coldly. Darien opened his eyes wide in shock. Her eyes were turned down to the floor, her arms, shivering beneath the oversized green jacket, still wrapped in front of her like a shield.

"Excuse me?" he said curiously.

"This is all your fault!" she stated seriously. Darien raised an eyebrow. Habit kicked in and he immediately switched to defensive mode.

"And HOW is this MY fault?!"

"You dragged me here to your stupid apartment! If it weren't for you I'd be home right now, and warm! And SAFE!"

"No, if it weren't for me you'd be frozen half to death on the sidewalk! It's not MY fault you're afraid of a bit of rain!"

Her jaw clenched. Glaring up at him, tears threatening to soak her now dry skin, she leaned her back against the wall. "Well maybe it would have been better if you hadn't shown up. Being half dead would definitely be welcome compared to being stuck in an elevator with YOU."

Looking away, she slid down the wall, burying her head in her knees once more.

"I'll remember that next time I see you stranded in the rain then," he shot back cruelly, now leaning his back against the wall as well, staring off to the corner of the small elevator. The only sound was the continuously repetitive music.

His blood was boiling with anger. 'I try to do something for the little ditz and THIS is what I get?! She could at least be a little grateful! I could have just as easily left her on the freezing wet street! See if I ever do anything nice for..."

Darien's thoughts were cut short by a small whimper coming from the crouched form on the far wall.

Almost unwillingly, Darien looked down at her. She hadn't moved, though her slim shoulders trembled with hidden tears. She was trying to hide the fact she was crying again, to no avail. Darien could hear her sniffle and swipe a sleeve across her nose, before returning to her still position.

And the walls of anger cracked and fell in a fraction of an instant.

His shoulders sagged and his pride turned to bitter remorse and sympathy. Sighing, and looking up at the corner one last time, as if bidding farewell to stubbornness, Darien strolled slowly and silently over to the shaking girl. He slid down the wall next to her. She ignored him. However, once he reached out a hand to touch her arm, she yanked away from it forcefully, turning her head away.

Darien gulped before wrapping his arm, rather possessively, around her shoulders. She continued to ignore him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She said nothing, but sniffled and wiped at her tears with a sleeve yet again. "I didn't mean it Serena... I just... I'm sorry..."

She sobbed a few times, her shoulders shaking a bit more. Then, without warning, she turned and buried herself in his welcoming arms. He smiled as he pulled her close, seemingly drifting off in the warmth that came as he held her. He rocked back and forth a little, as if she were a young child, until her sobs had quieted.

He heard her whisper through her sniffles, "I just wanted to be home. I just... wanted to get out of the storm and... and..."

"Shh... I know... I know Serena... I'm sorry..."

There was a silence as Serena snuggled in his strong embrace. Finally, she whispered, "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything. You're right... if it weren't for you, I'd still be out in that awful storm, freezing half to death and..."

"But you wouldn't be stuck here with the one guy you can't stand," Darien replied with a bitterness in his voice. He looked away as Serena turned her blue eyes up to him.

"Darien... that's not true..."

He sighed, smiling down at her softly. "Yeah, Serena, it is. I know you hate me, and I don't blame you. After everything I've said and done to you... and this is just the icing on the cake. You were terrified as it is. And now... you're stuck in an elevator and..."

"But I'm not terrified anymore."

Darien raised an eyebrow. She blushed slightly and tried to hide further in his arms.

"I was scared, because of the storm and everything but... I don't know... because you're here with me, I'm not as scared anymore," she whispered uncertainly.

Darien smiled slightly. Resting his head on hers, he closed his eyes and squeezed her gently. "I'm glad."

"Hey Darien!"

"Yeah?"

"Look what I found!"

He opened his eyes as she pulled something from beneath her. A chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed the small flashlight attached to his key chain.

............

Andrew walked quickly through the dark rain, his coat hood pulled tightly over his head.

"Of all the days Darien chooses to leave his wallet at the arcade," he muttered. Finally, he saw Darien's apartment building come into view. He picked up his pace and jogged quickly through the pounding storm.

He entered the lobby and immediately took off his jacket, shaking it out right outside the door. Taking a deep breath, he turned and was surprised at what he saw.

Two men in bright orange construction jackets stood directly outside the elevator, one talking on a walkie-talkie, the other on a head set. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over to them slowly. "Um... what's going on here?" he asked cautiously.

The one on the walkie-talkie turned to him slightly. "The elevator has stopped working because of the storm. We think there might be someone in one. It would be best if you could use the stairs," he said vaguely, before turning back to whatever he had been doing.

"Stairs?! You've got to be kidding! Darien lives on the twelfth floor! There's no way I'm gonna trudge up all those! Sir, how long do you think it'll be?"

The man looked back agitatedly. "Look, we don't have time for this. We're working as hard as we can to get this running again, but so far all we've been able to do was switch the lights. It's weird... almost like something's making it so we CAN'T get it working."

"And what does THAT mean? What, you think DESTINY has made it so this thing won't work? You guys are crazy!"

"Like I said, we're doing everything we can. Now please back away and give us a bit of space to work here!" With that, the man turned back and opened a panel with a screwdriver and began testing wires again and again.

Andrew rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great! Just great! I come all the way here through the storm of the century, and the elevator is broken! Wonderful!" He stomped over to the other side of the lobby and collapsed into a chair.

"Darien might need his wallet. I suppose I could call up to him and tell him I'm here. Maybe he'll meet me half way or something... Or come down and we can go get a cup of coffee. The elevator's sure to be working once we get back."

Standing up, he walked casually over to the desk in the lobby. No one was working there, which seemed strange, since usually there was always someone back there filing papers or organizing mail.

Shrugging, he turned the phone around to face him and began dialing Darien's number. "I wonder if you have to push anything weird to call people in the building."

He was relieved to hear ringing on the other end of the phone.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

"Hi, this is Darien."

"Hey Darien! Look, I have your..."

"Actually, I'm not home right now. Leave a message." BEEP.

He rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. "I hate that recording," he muttered. Turning around, he saw that the two men were still working on something or other. "Now... if Darien's not home... where on Earth could he be? He wouldn't be wandering around in this weather... and he doesn't work, so..."

And then, something clicked. "Wait... could Darien be... stuck in the elevator?!" He burst out laughing at the thought, annoying the man with the walkie-talkie. After he caught his breath, he walked over to the men again. "Excuse me... but is there anyway we can talk to whoever is in there?" he asked.

"We're working on that right now, sir."

The man with the headphone connected two wires together. Static was heard over a small speaker just above the elevator. "Hello, is anyone up there? Can you hear me?"

.............

Darien and Serena looked up from their huddled position on the floor at the sound of the voice.

"Darien? What was that?" asked Serena with a shaky voice. He stood up slowly, leaving her curled up on the floor.

"Hello?" he asked suspiciously.

"Darien?!" screamed a voice.

"Sir, you have to back up a little, we're trying to..."

"Andrew?" Darien asked.

"Andrew?" repeated Serena.

"Serena?" they heard over the small speaker Darien had just realized the voice was coming from. There was a silence as Andrew seemingly struggled to get closer to the intercom back in the lobby, despite the engineers' protests.

Finally, they heard him speaking again. "Wait a minute... you and... YOU are stuck in an elevator together?! Oh, that's sweet! Ha, I never thought I'd see the day. So, have you killed each other yet? I bet you are totally at each other's throats, huh?" he blabbered.

Darien rolled his eyes and Serena giggled a little. Then they heard Andrew become a bit more serious.

"But... wait... Why is Serena at you apartment anyway?"

Darien cleared his throat a little nervously. "Well, you see..."

"You guys are an item, aren't you?"

"WHAT?!" they both screeched.

"No wonder you're always bickering! I thought there was more to you two than what met the eye. Oh, Darien, I am so happy for you! You guys really are perfect for each other, you know?"

"Andrew, shut up."

There was a silence as Andrew debated whether or not to be quiet. This WAS a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all.

"Darien, it's okay, Dude. You guys don't have to hide your feelings anymore. But... I'm the best man, right? I'd better at least be invited to the wedding. Oh yeah, and I wanna be the godfather of at least the first born, okay? Maybe you could name it after me, I'd really appreciate that. No, you probably want a Darien Jr. doncha? Or if it's a girl you could name her Serena... and for a middle name, how about Meatball Head? That'd be cute. You know, for the main course at the reception, it should definitely be spaghetti and meatballs, it would be SO meaningful for you two and..." 

...........

Andrew backed away from the speaker as a loud crash and then static resumed. "Hmm... he's gonna be really mad when he gets out of there." 

Serena laughed uncontrollably as Darien leaned back against the wall after slamming a fist into the small speaker. "Well, we won't be haring from HIM in awhile. And listen! No more elevator music! I should have done that awhile ago."

She giggled some more in agreement. 

Stay tuned for chapter two. Many more giggles to come! 


	2. The Lobby

Thank you so much for your reviews!

Per questions posed: Yes, this story was posted on many a site years ago, so some of you have probably read it before. And yes, I know the link to First Love isn't working at the moment (we're in the process of switching to a new hosting provider). Thank you for your concern and Christina and I hope to have it back up soon! 

Next Time Take the Stairs: Chapter Two  
The Lobby

Andrew backed away from the speaker as a loud crash and then static resumed. "Hmm... he's gonna be really mad when he gets out of there." 

Serena laughed uncontrollably as Darien leaned back against the wall after slamming a fist into the small speaker. "Well, we won't be haring from HIM in awhile. And listen! No more elevator music! I should have done that awhile ago."

She giggled some more in agreement. 

Andrew fell back into the chair laughing his head off. "Oh, that was nice."

"Well, I hope you're happy. Now there's no way we can talk to them! What if one is claustrophobic?"

Andrew sighed and looked up at him. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. I would be more worried that they'll strangle each other before they get out of there."

With that, he walked back over to the phone on the desk. 'Better call Rita and tell her I'll be late to dinner tonight. This could take awhile.'

"You're kidding! Darien and Serena?! But... they'll drive each other crazy! I have to see this for myself! Stay there, okay, hon? Yeah, I love you, too. Bye!"

Rita hung up her cellular and shoved it back into her purse. Throwing on her coat and a pair of gloves, she treaded out into the storm. After about four blocks, she paused at a café on the corner. Sighing, she trudged in.

"I never thought it could be so hard to walk a couple blocks. I guess awful weather just wears me out a little." She trotted up to the counter and ordered a cup of coffee to go.

"Rita?"

She turned around to see a tall brunette she recognized as one of Andrew and Serena's friends. "Oh, hello Lita!"

"What are you doing out in that terrible storm?"

"I'm going to Darien's apartment."

"Why?"

"Andrew's there... and you will never believe this!"

"What?"

"Darien and SERENA are trapped in an elevator together!"

Lita's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"That's exactly what I said when Andrew told me."

"But... Darien... and Serena... together?! They'll tear each other apart!"

"I know. Isn't it great? And not only that... but they're ALONE in the elevator!"

"No way! Mina and I have GOT to see this!"

"Mina?"

A girl with blonde hair pulled back in a red bow walked up beside Lita. "Hey there!"

"Rita, this is Mina. We were just relaxing here, waiting for the storm to pass... but now... we have to go check this out!"

"Check what out?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Come on!"

Rita grabbed her coffee and Lita grabbed Mina's hand and they all jogged out into the ferocious storm.

.............

Serena stared off into space, occasionally taking glances at Darien who was leaning on the wall across from her. She sighed loudly, looking away. They had passed the last fifteen minutes in silence, and it was driving her insane.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Darien asked.

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah... well... I wonder what they're doing right now."

"Who?"

"Whoever's in charge of getting us out of this."

"I'm sure they're doing everything they can."

"Yeah..." Serena began laughing quietly and Darien looked down on her in confusion.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking... what if something really weird happens... like... there's a nuclear war and we're the only survivors. And then we get to be King and Queen of the Earth!" She giggled happily at the thought.

Darien smiled and rolled his eyes. "I don't think it would be too much fun being King if you didn't have any people to rule."

Serena looked off dreamily. "Yeah, I guess... but then, we'd just have to re-... re-... What's that word?"

"Repopulate?" Darien said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! We'd just have to repopulate the world."

Darien looked down at her, suppressing a laugh. "Serena, do you have any idea what you just said?"

"Yeah, we'd have to repopulate the world... why?"

Darien cocked his eyebrows again at her confused expression. "And just HOW do you think that is done?"

Serena stared at him for a moment, her mind clouded in confusion. Then, realization dawned instantly and she jumped to her feet, blushing furiously. "Oh, no! No! No! I didn't mean like that! I just... thought, ya know, we could like... I dunno... make robots or or clones or something and... and..."

Darien fell to the floor, clutching his stomach from laughter as Serena continued to spew excuses.

Finally, his constant laughter subsided. Looking up to her worried expression, he stated simply, "Serena, you are quite the character."

She wasn't sure what to make of that.

Ami grabbed at a piece of paper as it blew out of her hand, and shoved it back into her book bag. She hunched over it, attempting to keep the contents dry from the incessant rain.

"I think I should have stayed at home to study."

She stumbled back as a force came hurdling into her. "Now I'm turning into Serena," she said, looking up to apologize to whoever else was caught in the storm. She was surprised to see Lita staring down on her.

"Oh, hey Ames!" Lita yelled enthusiastically over the roar of the rain and thunder.

"Hello Lita," she replied, then said hi to Rita and Mina standing behind her.

"Come with us!" said Lita, turning her around.

"I'd love to Lita, but I have to get home and study for Monday's test and..."

"But Darien and Serena are stuck in an elevator together and we're going to go see them when they finally get out!" Mina said from the other side of Lita.

Ami raised an eyebrow. "WHAT?! Serena and Darien?!" She looked behind her, and then to wherever they were taking her. "Oh, I'll get an A on the test anyway, this is a can't miss opportunity!"

The four girls took off toward Darien's apartment together. 

Darien stood in the middle of the elevator, arms crossed, looking solemnly up at the numbers above the door. It appeared they had stopped somewhere between the 9th and 10th floors. He felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Serena standing a few feet behind him, hands in her pockets, staring off to a high corner. She smiled and began whistling innocently.

Darien cracked a smile, laughter spilling from his lips. Rolling his eyes, he turned to stare off into space again. 'Cute...'

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he began to wonder where in the world his umbrella had disappeared to.

.............

Andrew laughed as four very soaked girls walked into the lobby. Standing, he walked over to the one with long red hair, now matted to her head. Shaking his head, he wiped some raindrops off of her face.

Pouting slightly, Rita held out her arms for a hug. Andrew simply laughed and backed away.

"Nuh-uh. I'm not touching you like THAT!"

She crossed her arms again angrily. "Well I love you, too!"

He smiled and helped her take off her jacket, settling for a light kiss on her cheek.

After Ami, Lita, and Mina had hung up their dripping coats, they all turned to Andrew.

"Are they out yet?"

"Nope. We haven't been able to talk to them either."

Mina bit her lip, turning to the closed elevator doors, Two men in orange jackets, walkie-talkies, and headsets standing in front. "I hope they're still alive up there..." she whispered. 

"Just hold still!"

"Ow, that hurts!"

"If you would hold still it wouldn't hurt so much!"

"What's up with girls' obsessions with hair, anyway?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Darien rolled his eyes, folding his hands in his lap again. Serena kneeled behind him, doing Heaven-knows-what to his hair. All he knew was that it HURT. But would he make her stop? Of course not... especially since they made a deal that after she was done, he could play with her hair too... and he couldn't wait to run his hands through her long, silky locks.

"I'm almost done..."

He sighed. "Didn't you say that twenty minutes ago?"

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't tease, I really am this time!"

"Uh-huh."

"If you want, I can take it out and start all over again."

"No! No, that's okay, really."

Serena giggled. She twisted the last small, damp lock into place. With a smile, she came around to face him. Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "Wow... you look... different!"

Darien raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. Standing, he turned around to face the wall with a large mirror. His jaw dropped. Slowly, he reached up to touch his hair.

The short ebony strands stood up completely straight in medium sized, spiky clumps.

"Wow," he said, looking at the reflection from every angle.

Serena giggled, standing up behind him. "Do you like it?"

"I look like I'm 16!"

Serena burst out laughing. Taking a few steps toward him, she buried herself beneath one arm. "I think you look handsome. Strange... a little... punk-rocker-ish... but... cool."

Darien smiled and wrapped his free arm around her. "It's... different, alright."

Serena giggled happily.

............

"Check mate," Ami said, again.

"That's it, I SWEAR you cheat!" the man with the walkie-talkie, whom they'd found out actually had a NAME (gasp), said. The man with the walkie-talkie (of course, they forgot the name five minutes later) slammed the small pawn, the only piece he had won (and he lost a bishop in the process) down on the table. "I don't want to play with you anymore!" Standing up, he walked quickly over to the other side of the lobby... or, toward the elevator (remember the elevator? This story is about the elevator).

Ami watched him with wide eyes. "Is he angry?"

"I think we should call Raye," said Mina dreamily.

Lita looked up at her. "Oh, totally! She would kill us if we didn't tell her about this!"

"I'll go call her right now," said Mina, standing up from the couch and walking over to the still-deserted desk, before dialing the number of the Cherry Hill Temple. 

"You've got to be kidding! Darien and Serena!? That is TOO funny! Of course I'll be there! A little storm can't keep me away from this. Hey, do you think you could make it so they don't inflict any permanent damage on each other until I get there? Thanks! See ya!"

Raye hung up the phone, quickly gathering up an umbrella and rain jacket before trudging out into the raging weather.

............

"I always wondered what you looked like without the meatballs," Darien said, pulling the last bobby pin from her golden hair. Serena smiled, sitting in front of his kneeled position.

"Does this mean you can't call me Meatball Head until I put my hair back up?" she asked hopefully.

Darien hid a chuckle, running his fingers through the loose locks. He stroked some from the side of her neck before leaning down next to her ear. "Nope! You'll always be Meatball Head to me!"

"Ugh! You are so aggravating!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. Darien smiled to himself.

'This is too perfect,' he thought, running his fingers through her hair again.

Serena forgot the teasing shortly afterward, allowing herself to relax beneath his gentle touch. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she fell into the soothing sensations. Her scalp tingled from after being released from the tight buns.

Darien never wanted to stop caressing the spun gold, but he soon realized that if he didn't do something else soon, Serena would find it just a TAD strange.

He took a lock from the side of her head, just behind her ear, and began to braid. He couldn't even remember how he learned to do this, but he thought he was doing a pretty good job. Until the ends started getting tangled.

"You have so much hair!" he exclaimed, trying to unravel the know he'd made. Serena giggled.

"Yeah, I know. It takes some getting used to."

He had finally continued his styling, wrapping the braid around her head in a crown, then around again... and again...

"You know, you could easily do one of those sixty's beehive things. That'd be flattering," he said sarcastically.

Serena rolled her eyes.

He secured the braid with some bobby pins from the meatballs, then ran his fingers down the mane again... pretending he was combing it, or something. The long golden locks pooled all around both of them on the elevator floor, catching the bright lights above in flowing rays. Finally, Darien let his hands drift from the cascading hair to wrap, rather possessively, around her shoulders.

"There you are, Princess," he whispered.

Serena felt dizzy being this close to him, though she had no idea why. Gulping, and against her body's protests, she stood, pulling herself out of his surrounding arms. Darien let her go reluctantly and stood next to her.

Serena looked at her reflection, a bright twinkle in her eye. She smiled widely, letting a small giggle escape, running her fingers lightly over the golden crown. She looked behind her at Darien's reflection. He was smiling down on her, quite proud of his work, his hands comfortably in his pockets.

"Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the mirror. "It's the princess and the punk rocker!"

...............

"This had better be worth it! When they come out of there, they'd better either be half dead or married!" Raye yelled, wringing her raven hair out on the tile floor. "I had to trudge through that freaking tidal wave out there to get here, now where is that Meatball Head! I need someone to yell at!"

Mina chuckled nervously. "They're still in the elevator. We can't talk to them yet, either."

"What?! Well who's working on getting them down?!"

Mina pointed to two construction workers, one currently involved in a thumb war with Lita, while the other cheered him on, the headset wrapped around his neck, and the forgotten walkie-talkie in his pocket. Raye rolled her eyes, sighing.

"This town's going to Hell in a hand basket," she mumbled.

"Hey, think about it this way, this just means that Darien and Serena are going to be stuck up there for a LONG time!"

Raye got an evil gleam in her eye. "I wish they had cameras in those elevators. I'd really like to see what's going on now." 

"Darien, you're making it too hard! It's VERY simple."

"What's the point of this again?"

"It's just for fun."

"Who in their right mind would sit there and come up with things like this anyway?"

"It was probably some tired and hungry kid who couldn't afford any toys, so they came up with this."

Darien looked at her with false sympathy. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, "Serena, do you want me to buy you a toy?"

Serena glared at him and pushed his hand off her shoulder. "Darien, be serious. This is actually pretty fun when you know how to do it right. Now pay attention."

Darien smiled at her, never taking his eyes off her face. She stuck out her tongue in concentration and he nearly broke out laughing. Yes, she was simply too adorable.

"There, see! Now you try! Darien? Darien?!"

"Huh? What?" She rolled her eyes, dropping the string from her fingers.

"Weren't you paying any attention at all? Cat's Cradle is the easiest string game there is, now you are GOING to do this, whether you like it or not!"

Darien rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll try. Now... how did you do that?"

She smiled in spite of herself and once again picked up the long string tied into a loop. "Okay, first you slide it over your four fingers, like this..." she put it over his willing hands, wrapping the string around each one time. "Then you string your middle finger through the opposite one... no, like this... Darien, stop being difficult!"

He laughed. 'This is TOO much fun!' "What did I do?!"

"Middle finger, Darien."

"Oh, right." He followed the directions, glancing up every now and then to see her staring down at their hands. Her tongue was once again sticking out to the side in diligence as she molded his fingers around the string. He looked down to see a neat little shape of diamonds and rectangles formed perfectly in his hands.

"There! See, now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Darien smiled. "Yeah, I know I'm good!" he said, sticking his nose up proudly.

"Hey! I'm the one who... Oh, you are so annoying!"

He only laughed harder as she punched him lightly in the chest, then pulled his arms over and around her, trapping her in his embrace. She squealed in surprise, looking up to see mischievous twinkles in his dark blue eyes.

"Am I really that annoying?" He had meant for it to sound somewhat frightening, yet it came out in a low, almost hurt whisper. She gasped slightly as he unconsciously pulled her closer to him.

'So close... He's so warm and... he smells so good and... So unbelievably close... And handsome... Beautiful eyes... smells like roses... deeper than the ocean... So incredibly close...'

"Serena, are you okay?" Darien asked, worry in his voice. She hadn't said anything in about a minute. All she did was stare at his eyes, almost looking into them... into him. He was beginning to wonder if she'd gone into shock.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as best as she could. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she answered, beginning to back out of his grip. However, she soon found that she couldn't. Her eyes looked up to him to see that he was looking away sheepishly. "Darien?"

"Houston, we have a problem."

Her eyes darkened. "What's the problem?"

"I... I'm sorta tied up here... And I don't know how to get out of these stupid knots..."

Serena rolled her eyes, her head collapsing onto his chest, laughing. "Oh for goodness sakes, Darien, it's not that hard!"

"I've never done this before!"

Turning around, she began working on the mess of strings, attempting to free both her and Darien from the small web.

"Gee, do you even know how to tie your shoes?" she asked teasingly. He rolled his eyes, leaning his head on her shoulder and watching her attempts to untie them.

............

"Rouge."

"Check."

...

...

...

"Shadow."

"Color?"

"Blue."

"Shade?"

"Light."

"Check."

...

...

...

"Brow pencil.

" "Check."

...

...

"Gloss."

"Tint?"

"Pink."

"Dark or pale?"

"Pale."

"Baby or pouty?"

"Baby."

"Full or thin?"

"Full."

"Brush or stick?"

"Brush."

"Shimmery or dull?"

"Oh, just give me the stupid lip gloss already!"

"Okay, okay, relax. Here ya go."

"What do you say?"

"Check."

"Better."

"Are you almost done yet?" Amy whined.

"Yup, just hold still a little longer... While I apply this last coat... and... voila!"

"Ooh, she looks gorgeous! Wow, I never knew she had it in her."

"Yeah, no kidding. Before she was always so... dull..."

"She was pretty, but now!"

"The men will flock to her!"

"Would you all stop talking about me like I'm not here?!" Amy yelled, grabbing the hand mirror Mina offered. Her jaw fell as she ran a hand slowly through her hair. "Wow, I AM hot!"

"Yes, I'm a magician. How DO I do it?" Mina said, blowing on her knuckles and running them over her still-damp shirt.

"Hey... um... could I... um... have your number?" asked Ted (Walkie- talkie man. They remembered his name... eventually).

Amy looked him up and down with disapproval in her eye. "How old are you?" she said tiredly.

"Um... Twe... twenty-eight, ma'am."

She looked away in deep thought. "Hm... sorry, but I try not to date anyone TWICE MY AGE! What is wrong with you?! Yuck!" She jumped to her feet and stormed away, yelling over her shoulder, "And Mina, I HATE make-up!"

Mina looked after her sadly. "She could have been my greatest achievement yet."

Lita placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There will be others. Let's just... pray for her now..." They each bowed their head silently.

..........

"How much longer do you think it'll be before we get out of here?"

"I'm sure they're doing everything they can, Serena." "I want to go home," she whispered, more to herself than to Darien. He looked down on her sadly.

"I know, Serena. I'm sorry this happened to you."

She looked up at him with confusion in her eye. "Why? You didn't do anything."

"I know... but, you don't deserve to be here, you know? You should... be at home... in you warm bed... After eating a warm dinner..."

"And hot chocolate!" she chimed in.

He smiled, running a hand through her bangs again, before tracing along the golden braid. "And hot chocolate. And then... your mom would tuck you in all nice and toasty warm." Serena giggled as he wrapped his green jacket tighter around her. "And then she'd sing you lullabies and tell you stories and..."

He was cut short by shrill laughter. "You've got to be kidding! How young do you think I am? Mom stopped doing that stuff when I was seven!"

Darien looked down on her small, beautiful face, rested so trustingly in his lap, one hand resting beneath her neck, the other on her flat stomach. His fingers continued to stroke through her hair slowly. "Well... I don't know... I mean, I know you're not a kid, but..."

"Well, when did your mom stop singing you lullabies?"

The question was so innocent, and yet stung him so harshly. He clenched his teeth together, letting his head fall back against the elevator wall. His fingers stopped running through her hair.

Serena looked up at him, confusion apparent. 'Why is he being so silent? Did I say something?"

"Darien? What's wrong?" When he didn't answer, she was about to sit up, when she felt his warm hand on her shoulder. Her eyes caught his as he forced a small smile... well, only half forced. "Darien?"

He inhaled deeply, returning to his exploration of her hair. "I... never had a mom. Well, I did... but, I don't remember..."

She cocked her head to the side as best as she could, urging him to continue. The sadness was deep in his voice, but she felt for some reason that maybe she could help him. Somehow...

"My parents died in a car crash when I was six. I had amnesia and the doctors sent me to an orphanage. I don't remember anything... about my mom or dad... or if I had any brothers or sisters. I don't know where we lived or... what my dad did for a living. I don't even know if my real name is Darien. When I lived in the orphanage, I used to dream about what it must have been like, to actually have had a family. Sometimes I'd lay awake at night, and imagine I was at home, somewhere where I actually belonged. And if I thought really hard, I could even imagine my mom's voice. And I'd come up with fairy tales she would have read to me... or lullabies she would have sang to me..." His voice faded away as he was pulled into a sad reminiscence; his fingers unknowingly continuing to caress her soft bangs.

"Oh Darien," she whispered, her eyes searching his as they stared into space. At the sound of her voice, Darien snapped back to reality, bringing his eyes to focus on her.

After a moment of silence, he whispered, "Don't do that."

She furrowed her brow slightly. "Don't do what?"

"Don't look at me like I'm a different person than I was five minutes ago, just because now you know something else about me. It's just a sob story; we all have them."

Serena smiled wearily. "I don't think you're any different from five minutes ago. You're still the guy who calls me Meatball Head and teases me every day. And you're still the guy who saved me from the storm. I was just... wishing that I could've been there for you, when you were at the orphanage. I wish I could have known you, somehow..."

Darien smiled down on her. "You're here now," he whispered.

She returned the smile, reaching up to twirl a small 'spike' of black hair around her finger. Releasing the hair, she sat up slowly, before turning around to face him and leaning against the same wall he was against. He looked over at her, confused. Though he hated to admit it, he REALLY liked the feeling of her lying on his lap.

"Come here," she commanded.

"Huh?"

"Come here. Come lay down," she patted her lap innocently, a bright smile on her face. Darien raised an eyebrow, but slowly, VERY slowly, crawled over to her, before turning around unsure.

"Um... Serena..."

That was all he could say before she grabbed the collar of his black shirt and pulled his head down to her lap. He gasped, looking up at her confused.

"Uh..."

She giggled. 'It's fun making him uncomfortable,' she realized.

"Just relax, okay?"

"What are you thinking, you little minx?" he said with a smile and contemplating eyes.

She laughed and hit his shoulder lightly. "Oh, you!"

He chuckled back and settled himself into his new position. Serena looked down on him with a happy seriousness, her eyes glazed with a happy, caring twinkle.

"Relax," she repeated, running a hand over his eyelids. He closed them and breathed in deeply. Her hands played gently with his hair, much the same way he had with hers, caressing, then twirling her fingers around a few select locks. She wet her lips nervously, before beginning to sing a lullaby her mom used to sing to her when she was younger.

"Where are you going?  
Where are you going?  
Will you take me with you?  
For my hand is cold,  
And needs warmth.  
Where are you going?"

Darien looked up at her in surprise. THIS, he was not expecting. Their eyes met, and she only smiled, continuing to sing the soft, beautiful song. 

"Far beyond where the horizon lies,  
Where the horizon lies,  
And the land sinks into mellow blueness...  
Oh please, take me with you.  
I can skip the road with you.  
I can dare myself.  
I can dare myself."

She tore one hand away from his hair, once again brushing it over his happily glazed eyes. He complied, closing his eyelids and letting the song drift around him. 

"I'll put a pebble in my shoe  
And watch me walk.  
I can walk and walk...  
I shall call the pebble Dare.  
We shall talk together about walking. Dare shall be carried,  
And when we both have had enough,  
I will take him from my shoe, singing,  
Meet your new road.  
Then I'll take your hand,  
Finally glad  
That I am here  
By your side.  
By your side, by your side...  
By your side."

Darien was afraid to move. He didn't want this to end. This... that he had never had... only dreamt of. True, she wasn't his mother, or even A mother, but she was someone who evidently cared for him... and who he did care for as well... And for the first time, they were actually showing that.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead tenderly, her fingers tracing down his strong jaw line. After she pulled away, Darien slowly, groggily, opened his blue eyes to look up at her.

With a gentle hand, he wrapped his palm around her fingers, still lingering on his neck. Pulling it to his lips, he charmingly kissed the back of her hand, his eyes still locked on her pale blue stare.

"Thank you." 

.........

Stay tuned for chapter 3! 

"By Your Side" is from the Broadway musical, Godspell. 


	3. The Elevator

Alicia Blade  
All disclaimers apply.  
Reviews always appreciated! 

Next Time Take the Stairs: Chapter Three  
The Elevator

She leaned down and kissed his forehead tenderly, her fingers tracing down his strong jaw line. After she pulled away, Darien slowly, groggily, opened his blue eyes to look up at her.

With a gentle hand, he wrapped his palm around her fingers, still lingering on his neck. Pulling it to his lips, he charmingly kissed the back of her hand, his eyes still locked on her pale blue stare.

"Thank you." 

...

"Vain! Um... primp... prissy... girl... babe... CHICK! Is it chick?" Tom yelled. (He's the other construction worker. Everyone, meet Tom! He's short, kinda chubby, and LOVES his headset!) "Feminine... hot... bodacious?"

"No, I got it! Beautiful, gorgeous, incredibly wonderful and sexy... Rita!" yelled Andrew. He was met with a smack in the chest.

"Stop sucking up!" Rita said, before turning back to the game. "Um... Miss America... beauty queen? Yes, yes? Oh, not quite... um... queen... princess... royalty..."

"BEAUTY!"

Ted pointed agreement to Tom, a huge smile on his face, before moving onto the next sign, holding two fingers centimeters apart.

"A little word... um... Beauty A? Beauty THE?"

"Beauty the two-headed cow!" Andrew cheered, receiving another smack on the shoulder.

"Honey, be real! Let's see... AND? Yes, and! Cool! Next word. Another little one? Um... Beauty and... A? THE?"

"THE!" said Tom as Ted showed two thumbs up to Rita.

"Last word! Gruesome... ugly... scary... fat... um... something ugly, terrible... uh...uh..."

"Beauty and the two-headed cow!"

"ANDREW!" WHACK!

"Ow, stop doing that. This is only a game, after all."

Mina and Lita laughed. The blonde jumped up from her spot on the upholstered recliner and began dancing around, singing, "Beauty and the two-headed cow, two-headed cow, two-headed cow..."

Lita joined in with another song, "Old Mcdonald had a farm EE-I- EE-I-OO! And on that farm he had a two-headed cow, EE-I-EE-I-OO! With a..."

"The beauty and the..."

"Moo-moo here!"

"Two-headed cow, two-headed cow, two-headed..."

"And a double moo there..."

"Beauty and the..."

"Here a Moo! There a moo! Everywhere a Moo-moo!"

"Two-headed cow! Beauty and the..."

"EE-I-EE-I-OO!"

"SHUT UP!" Ted screamed at the two lunatics. The room fell silent.

Finally, Raye pointed and smiled sweetly at Ted. "You broke the first rule in the game of charades, TALKING. Sorry, our team gets five points."

Ted, Tom, Andrew, and Rita all groaned. "Well, what was the answer?" Tom asked.

"Beauty and the Beast."

Amy rolled her eyes from her spot on the floor. "Well, DUH!"

Everyone on the so-far-losing team turned to face her. She smiled innocently before returning to her calculus homework. 

...

"I wonder what they're doing now," Serena said airily, staring off into space.

"I'm sure they're doing everything they can to get us out of here," Darien answered, tossing his keys from hand to hand in boredom.

She turned to him, her blue eyes watching the jangling keys with mute interest. He sat right next to her, leaning on the adjacent wall. She smiled to herself. Despite previous beliefs, he was probably the first person she would want to be stuck in an elevator with.

Darien felt a hand on his ear and something cold. Jerking back, he turned to look at her. She held up a quarter between her pointer finger and thumb.

"There was a quarter in your ear!" she said cheerfully. Then whispered mysteriously, "I'm magic!"

Darien stared at her for a moment, his keys forgotten in one palm. Then a quirky smile spread across his lips. "Oh yeah, Meatball Head, THAT'S original." His deep voice dripped with sarcasm.

Serena glared at him before rolling her eyes. "Well I'm bored!"

He cocked his head to the side, a smile still lingering on his face. "Do you want to see a REAL magic trick?"

Serena looked at him, her curiosity peaked. "Sure!"

Darien lifted each sleeve, revealing nothing hidden in either.

Serena crossed her arms on her knees, leaning over and watching him carefully and suspiciously as he drew on the suspenseful act.

After he had proven there was nothing peculiar anywhere on him, Darien reached behind his back. Serena watched in awe as his hand returned with a perfect red budding rose.

Darien smiled as her lovely blue eyes grew wide in amazement. Grinning proudly, he handed her the rose, watching as she took it with slightly trembling hands.

"How... how did you do that?" she asked, her eyes roving over the perfectly carved flower.

"A true magician never reveals his secrets."

...

"Seven card stud, low in the hole, deuces wild, split pot," Lita muffled through a candy cigar.

Andrew looked up at her from beneath his plastic green visor. "You play the game much?"

"Whenever I can get out of the house."

"Hey, can we get some drinks over here?" called Ted, snapping his fingers above his head. Amy and Mina looked up at them from their places on the couch. Amy rolled her eyes and looked over at Rita.

"You get them this time."

Rita grumbled and stood up, walking casually over to the dimly lighted poker table.

"What do you want now?"

"A piece of you would be nice," said Ted, his eyes roving over her shamelessly. Rita gasped, her jaw dropping. Turning, she saw Andrew staring thoughtfully at two cards in his hand.

"Andrew! Did you hear what he just said!"

"It's okay, honey. Whatever they say, I still think you're beautiful."

"Ugh! Why you..."

"Hey missy, keep your voice down. Some of us is tryin' to win our hand at poker here!" Raye yelled, sucking on a strawberry tootsie-pop.

"Yeah, now how 'bout that drink. I'll take a rum and coke on the rocks... um... easy on the rum."

Rita glared down at him. "You'll TAKE what I give you!" Grabbing his empty glass, she stormed away.

"Tom has high card showing, lay your bets," Lita instructed.

"Alright," said Tom, reaching into his stash. "I bet 5 yellow reeces pieces."

Lita raised an eyebrow. "I call your bet of 5 yellow reeses pieces."

"Call," Andrew said.

Raye smiled to herself. "I see your 5 yellows... and raise 2 browns."

Every one at the table exchanged glances.

Ted swallowed, before throwing in 5 yellow and 2 brown reeses pieces.

Lita began to deal the next set. "Dealer showing a pair of sixes. I'll bet 6 yellows."

Andrew smiled, looking at the pair in his hands. "I'll call your six, and throw in 2 more."

Raye casually dropped in 8 yellow pieces.

Ted and Tom followed suit quickly, each looking rather dejectedly at the cards in their hands.

Rita cleared her throat. Turning, Ted smiled at the cold glass in her hand.

"Here's your pink lemonade, your MAJESTY!" She set the glass, rather roughly, on the table before beginning to storm away.

"Hey, Rita, wait!" She sighed and turned to look at her boyfriend, who had a mouthful of reeses pieces and an awful green visor on his head.

"Yes?"

"Um... that looks pretty good. Think you could get me one?" he pleaded. Rita groaned and smacked a hand to her forehead before leaving for the kitchen.

"Thanks sweetie! I love you!"

"Whatever!" 

_ Three rounds later..._

Tom looked over the three cards in his hand, then down at his four cards on the table. Groaning, he slammed the three face down. "I fold!"

Lita looked up at him a bit nervously. 'Never thought someone could get so angry over losing a bit of candy. Well... yeah, I can. It is reeses PIECES after all.'

She looked at her sixes, lying in plain view. She was the only one with anything showing still... except for Raye's pair of fives.

"Hm..." Everyone looked at her expectantly. "I... I'll... bet... um... 2 browns."

After she threw in her candy, everyone's attention switched to Andrew. He nibbled on an almost gone cigar, staring at his pair of nine's, one in his hand. "Call."

Raye looked over her hand, her eyes circling suspiciously at the other players. "I'll call the two browns and raise..." her hands darted over the small pile by her side, "three ORANGES."

Everyone gasped and stared wide eyed as she tossed the three bright orange candies into the pile.

Ted bit his nails nervously. Slowly, he reached for the pile of candy by his side, and slowly, after much mental debating, tossed in the total.

"Fold!" Lita said, dropping her cards on the table.

"Me too," said Andrew, placing his cards on top of Lita's.

Somewhere in the background, the theme song to 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' began to play.

Raye and Ted stared at each other for a long time. Raye raised an eyebrow. "Well, partner. Care to show 'em whatcha got?"

Ted eyed her evilly, slowly placing his cards down on the table. "Two pair. Jacks and aces."

Raye looked at the hand, a smile dawning on her face. With a laugh, she tossed her cards down. "Full house! Loser! Ha ha! I win, nana nana boo-boo! Ha ha ha! Suckers!" With both hands, Raye reached out and scooped the giant pile toward her. "Aw, sweet, sweet chocolate! How I love you so! Let me count the ways..."

Everyone around the table rolled their eyes. "Next game!" Andrew called, raking in the cards.

...

Darien watched Serena out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling slightly down at the rose, running her fingers over it gently while humming a soft song to herself. She would occasionally bring the rose to her face to smell it, then twirl it whimsically in her fingers. He smiled. For some reason, the thought that she was enjoying HIS rose like that just made him... happy. Very happy.

With a sigh, he leaned his head back against the wall and peacefully closed his eyes.

Serena glanced up at him, finally tearing her eyes away from the gorgeous rose before her. She leaned her head on one knee, letting her gaze drift over him. His hair was hilarious. So not like him. She wondered why he hadn't taken it down yet. Reaching a hand up, she felt the braid on her head. It was a strange feeling. She'd worn the buns since before she could remember. With her attention drawn back to the rose, she had a sudden idea...

'I'm bored. Why not?'

Darien opened his eyes when he heard Serena clear her throat above him. She was standing before him, one hand behind her back, the other clutching the rose in front of her. With the rose stem between her pointer and middle fingers, she brought it up to him horizontally, not far from his lips.

"Care to tango?" she asked in her most sultry voice.

Darien raised an eyebrow, and a little laugh spilled from his mouth. Leaning forward, he took the rose between his lips before standing up in front of her. She giggled happily, the seriousness gone. Besides, he looked SO good with that rose!

Without warning, Darien wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her easily to his body. Her laughter stopped as she looked up to him wide-eyed. With a sly smile, Darien took the small hand that had landed on his chest into his own, looking down at her with all the suaveness he could muster. He winked once, before, without warning, throwing their linked hands out to the side into a starting position.

Serena felt a smile tugging at her lips, though somehow managed to remain serious, and as seductive as possible.

They made eye contact and, mutely and simultaneously, turned their heads to the side. With precise movements, they began to stroll down the small, cramped elevator. Upon reaching the nearest wall, Darien paused and immediately switched hands. Somewhere far away, both of them could have SWORN they heard traditional tango music filling the elevator.

Their steps matched in perfect accuracy as they made their way to the other end of the elevator. Turning once again. Darien leaned to the side, as Serena dipped easily into his arms. He placed his now free hand on her thigh, high enough to be sexy, yet low enough so that she wouldn't slap him. Lowering his face to hers, Serena took the rose into her own mouth. Darien brought her to a standing position again, with his hand still rather possessively clamped onto her leg.

He wrapped her leg around his body before sliding her across the elevator with her one foot brushing the carpet. Serena allowed his support and bent back, letting her loose hair fall down around her ankle. Once they had run out of room, Darien placed his hand around her higher back, turning her to that lying position yet again. Her leg dropped from his side and her arms reached up to wrap around his neck.

Their breathing was heavy as they stared into each other's eyes, Serena with the rose still clutched in her teeth. Their blue gazes clashed intensely into each other, filled with passion and desire. Their heavy, thick eyelashes fluttered in the moment's heavy air. 

Finally, Darien said, "We have been in here WAY too long."

...

"I never really >sniffle, snifflesniffle, snifflesnifflesniffle, sniffle  
"No, Tom, don't say that!" encouraged Mina, placing a friendly arm across his shoulder.

"Yeah, you're not fat! You're pleasantly plump!" Lita added.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Of course we mean it, big guy!"

"Wow. You guys are being so... so nice to me!" Tom buried his head in Lita's shoulder, tears soaking her now-almost-dry shirt.

Lita looked around at the gawking people. Slowly, she started patting his head. "Um... okay... yeah... Cry it out. There... there..."

"I don't know what I would do without you guys! I've never had real friends before! Maybe... maybe I'm not so worthless after all!"

Andrew came up behind the crying man and turned him around quickly, holding him at arm's length. "Listen here! You are not worthless! Now, there are two people in that elevator who need YOU! No one else, Tom. You're the only one who can help those poor people. Now Tom, I have faith in you! I know you can do this!"

Tom straightened his shoulder, tears stopping abruptly. He placed his hands on Andrew's shoulders. "You're right!"

"I know I'm right!"

"I can do this!"

"You bet you can!"

"I love you, man!"

Andrew stood still as Tom wrapped him in a giant bear hug.

"Um... I... I..."

Rita stood behind Tom, looking her boyfriend straight in the eye and silently prodded him on, winking slightly.

"I... love you... too... Dude..."

...

Serena buried herself deeper into his surrounding arm, closing her eyes serenely. She was sitting comfortably in his lap... with no clue whatsoever as to how she actually got there. But it was nice all the same. They were both dry, and warm, though she refused to give up his jacket just yet. For some reason it felt... protective... safe... a lot like being so close to Darien did.

Darien leaned his head down on hers, exhaustion overcoming him. It had been a long, and interesting, day. They had been stuck in this huge box for roughly three hours now. Three hours that weren't half as bad as he'd thought they would have been. Actually, it'd been fun. Strange... a little uncomfortable at times... but fun nonetheless. He heard her yawn below him and opened his eyes to look down at her. She looked half asleep, almost in a dreaming state.

"You should try to get some sleep," he whispered. Her blue eyes looked up at him. She stared at him for a moment, before smiling slightly.

"Thanks, but it wouldn't be fair to you if I fell asleep."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... you're tired too... and one of us has to stay up for when the elevator starts up again."

Darien smiled. "You're too nice, Meatball Head. I'm fine. But YOU need to go to bed. I'll wake you up when it starts moving again."

Serena looked away, staring into space for a minute. "I guess so... But are you sure you won't get bored or lonely?"

He laughed. "I'm sure."

She looked at him doubtfully, but finally subjected to his ideas, sighing to herself. "Okay." Her head fell against his chest again and she suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable. 'Am I going to fall asleep in his LAP?' she asked herself. Personally, she had no problem with it... but wouldn't he find it a tad... weird?

However, the doubts immediately disintegrated when she felt his other arm wrap around her as well, pulling her small body even closer into his embrace. With an unnoticed sigh of relief, her eyes closed once again, and she soon fell into a peaceful slumber.

Darien smiled lightly when he heard a soft, almost inaudible snoring coming from the girl in his arms. He closed his eyes and let his head collapse onto hers again, his mind drifting into a peaceful reverie. He began to wonder what would happen when they finally got out of here. Would they resort back to name calling and insults? Would they be friends? A part of him felt that even THAT wouldn't be good enough. That he wanted something more...

His thoughts echoed of daydreams and fantasies, mostly of them being... more than friends. A couple. Of her belonging to him. The idea was actually quite... pleasant. In fact, the concept itself made him smile widely, and the fact that she was sleeping in his arms didn't seem to help much at keeping these previously unthinkable thoughts at bay. Still... it WAS a possibility. It couldn't hurt THAT much to ask her out... some time... Who knows? Maybe she'd even say yes.

Darien unknowingly fell asleep, completely forgetting about his given duty to stay up until the elevator began moving again. He figured that tomorrow he would try his luck with the gorgeous Meatball Head. 

The crowd waited in silence. Tom had disappeared up the stairs awhile ago, and Ted was back on his walkie-talkie, directly in front of the closed elevator doors. Andrew had his arm around Rita as they watched in awe. Raye was chewing on a handful of Reeses Pieces. Amy was occasionally glancing from the book in her hand to the elevator to see if anything had changed. Mina and Lita were making bets on the condition of the two trapped enemies.

"I say they'll each be in separate corners pouting," said Mina.

"No way. Darien will be unconscious."

"Unconscious!"

"Yeah! Hey, Serena's got quite the arm on her... especially when she's mad! And boy does Darien make her MAD!"

Mina looked up in thought. "Okay... 10 bucks says they'll be in corners pouting, each with bruises. Darien more, since I doubt he's the kind who would willingly hit a girl. But both are conscious."

"You're on!" They shook hands, before turning back to the closed silver doors.

A silence fell over the waiting group. The only sound was static from the walkie-talkie and the munching of small chocolate covered candies. Suddenly, there was a DING and the small up-arrow on the side of the elevator turned on. Everyone simultaneously leaned forward. Agonizingly slowly, the elevator doors opened. Everyone gasped. Six jaws fell as they stared at THE most peculiar sight they had ever remembered seeing.

Serena was in his LAP, of all places. With her head rested on his chest, his on top of her head. He had one arm wrapped around her, while their fingers were laced together with the other. Serena wore a huge green jacket and her hair was not in the normal meatballs, but, instead, a braid was tied around her head. Darien's hair was sticking up from all sides in small spikes. And there were NO visible bruises!

Ted began to step into the elevator, preparing to wake the people up, when twelve hands grabbed onto him and yanked him back.

"WHAT THE..."

"SSSSHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone put their fingers to their lips. He stared at the small group in surprise.

"Huh?"

"Don't you dare disturb them!"

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"They'll never be peaceful in the same room again!"

"Who knows what'll happen if you wake them up!"

"Yeah, this is like... a phenomenon of some sort!"

"It's a Kodak moment!"

Ted looked at them one by one. "So... you're suggesting we just... leave them?"

"YES!"

Everyone grabbed onto him and dragged him quickly away. After he was at a safe distance, Lita turned around and, with the small camera she kept around for emergencies, snapped a picture of the two people.

'Kodak moment indeed. This could definitely come in handy... black mail... HA HA HA!' Turning around, she scampered after the small group. Behind her, the elevator doors closed on a happily dreaming couple.

And Darien never saw that worthless umbrella again.

...

The end!

I did write a sequel to this years ago but I don't think I'm going to post it here. If you'd like to read it, it will be available at First Love once the site gets working again. 


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